NICE Recommendation On Alzheimer's Medicines

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) today welcomed the revised position on Alzheimer's medicines expressed by NICE while expressing disappointment that their value for people with mild Alzheimer's has still not been recognised. And the ABPI also stressed that it was important that NICE's recommendation actually resulted in people receiving the medicines and not still being subject to the vagaries of local funding. “There is no point in NICE making recommendations that are then ignored on the ground,” said Dr Richard Barker, Director General of the ABPI. “We want people to benefit from these medicines yet, sadly, it is often the case that local health authorities put budgetary considerations over people's wellbeing by not allowing them to be prescribed.” Although the current Alzheimer's treatments are licensed for use in mild to moderate Alzheimer's - as is the case throughout Europe and around the world - the NICE recommendation is for use with those who have moderate Alzheimer's only. “While the decision to allow patients with moderate Alzheimer's treatment with these medicines is naturally welcome, it is disappointing that their potential value in those with the mild form of the condition has not been recognised,” Dr Barker said. “Doing everything possible to prevent or at least slow down the development of this distressing condition should be a top priority for the health service.”